Garsfontein stuns Bishops to reach Hibbert Shield semis
Hoërskool Garsfontein defied the odds on Friday at the Hibbert Shield when they defeated Bishops Diocesan College 1-0 in the quarterfinals to reach the last four of the tournament being played on Grey High School‘s Rectory Astroturf in Gqeberha.
Catch the Hibbert Shield semi-finals action live on SuperSport Schools.
The side from Pretoria entered the prestigious tournament as one of the underdogs, but they were not short of drive and were eager to build on the momentum they’ve accrued so far this season.
In March, Garsfontein headed down to KwaZulu-Natal, where they competed in the Coastal Cup, facing Clifton College, DHS, Glenwood, and Westville Boys’ High.
They drew 1-1 with Clifton, thumped Glenwood 3-0, went down in a tight one to DHS, 0-1, and ended their campaign with a resounding 3-1 victory over Westville.
After that, coach Steve Paulo’s boys were crowned champions of the Pretoria Cup before they again travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to face Michaelhouse in two practice games, which they won.
Those positive results might have been overlooked by hockey enthusiasts when they saw the school’s name on the fixture list for the Hibbert Shield, which included many of 2024’s leading teams.
Being draw in Pool 4, where they would face South African College High School (SACS) and Pearson High School, was a difficult enough challenge in itself.
On Wednesday evening, they were one of the first sides in action, when they took on Pearson. There was little to separate the sides as they played to a goalless draw.
On day two, they faced, arguably, their toughest opposition of the season, in SACS.
Garsies knew that, after SACS thumped Pearson 8-0, all they had to do to reach the quarterfinals was go down by seven goals or less, not that accepting a loss was on their minds.
They were beaten, but they performed honourably in a 0-3 defeat. That was enough to clinch them second place in the pool and a date with Bishops, who were unbeaten this season.
Bishops expected to dominate the match but were kept at bay by the spirited Garsies’ side.
Their goalkeeper Adrian Vosloo was a dynamo between the sticks, more than once coming to his side’s rescue when Bishops looked likely to open the scoring.
Their influential captain and Northerns’ u18 Northerns representative Hein Seebach was also among the top performers on the day, alongside Luken Brunette and Zandre Nel at the back.
Just when it seemed that matters would go into extra time, Garsfontein stunned Bishops by snatching the lead with only a minute and 22 seconds left to play.
Brunette, after taking control of the ball in the middle, spotted an open field and played a brilliant through ball to Reghardt Momberg, who beat a defender and whipped a reverse stick shot into the back of the net.
There was no time for Bishops to recover and the clash ended 1-0 to Garsfontein.
The demands don’t get any easier for coach Paulo’s side as they face Paul Roos Gimnasium in the semi-finals on Saturday. That match starts at 08:15.
Results: Day 3
St Stithians College 1-0 Pearson High
Selborne College 4-0 Clifton College
Paul Roos 5-2 Paarl Gimnasium
Grey High 3-0 Westville Boys’ High
Garsfontein 1-0 Bishops
SACS 2-1 DHS
Selborne College 6-1 St Stithians College
Clifton 2-1 Pearson
Paarl Gimnasium 2(0)-2(2) Bishops
Westville 2(4)-2(5) Durban High
Semi-finals, 4 May
08:15 – Paul Roos vs Garsfontein
09:45 – Grey High School vs SACS
